Apparatus for straightening cans and the flanges thereof



Dec. 7, 1948. TREFF 2,455,832

APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING CANS AND THE FLANGES THEREOF Filed June 6, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 7, 1948. TREFF APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHIENING CANS AND THE FLANGES THEREOF 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 6, 1945 w 6 ea Dec. 7, 1948. TREFF 2,455,832

AEPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING CANS AND THE FLANGES THEREOF Filed June 6, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 I 1EE Dec. 7, 1948. TREFF 2,455,832

I APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING CANS AND THE FLANGES THEREOF Filed June 6, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Dec. 7, 1948 APPARATUS FOR STRAIGHTENING oANs AND THE FLANGES "THEREOF Alfred Treff, Chicago, Ill., assignorto Continental- Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y.,-a corporation of New York Application June 6, 1945,"'Seria,l No. 597,751

3 Claims.

The invention relates generally to can feeding apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for feeding cans into filling machines of the type disclosed in the copending application for U 15. Letters Patent Serial N 0. 495,886 filed by Paul E. Pearson and Alfred 'Ireff on July 1943 (Patent No. 2,433,061, granted Dec. 27, 1947), and it primarily seeks to provide novel means for engaging and-straightening both the body and flange portions of any misshapen cans being fed into the filling machine.

It frequently happens that cans manufactured to receive products for the market become bent slightly out of shape, both in the open mouth and the outwardly extending flange thereof intended to form a part of the seam structures by which end closures are secured on the cans after the filling thereof. Obviously, such misshapen cans may seriously interfere with proper filling of the cans, or with the seam sealing thereof, and 'it is the purpose of the present invention to provide novel can straightening means engageable with the cans as they are being fed into the filling means and efiective to reshape the open to'ps'and also the flanges of any slightly misshapen cans so that all cans entering the filling machine will properly be seam sealed by the closing devices which may be embodied in the same machine or in' an adjacent separate closing machine.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character stated in which there is'included means for moving thecans in equidistantly spaced relation over a definite path of travel, a carrier movable in timed relation to the can feeding means and having thereon a plurality of can straightening dies, and means for vertically reciprocating the dies as they are moving along in timed relation with the moving cans so that each die will enter a can, straighten the mouth portion thereof should it be misshapen, and then moved out of said can.

Another object of the inventionis to provide anapparatus of the character stated in which each straightening die includes a spring depressed straightening and stripping ring which is engageable with the top end of a can in a manner for straightening the flange thereof should the same be misshapen, and also for stripping the can from the die shouldit tend to move upwardly with the same as it is leaving the open mouth eguidis'tantly spaced peripheral pockets in which the cans are moved, and in which the straightening-dies are carried at the lower ends of vertically reciprocable plungers and are reciprocated by means of rollers attached to the plungers :and engagingin the groove of a stationarily mounted actuator cam.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter'appear, the'nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims, and the several views illustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: N

Figure 1- is a plan view illustrating an apparatus embodying the invention, parts being broken away and'in section.

Figure2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the iline -2=2 on :Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the. line 3--3 on Figure '1.

Figure 4 is an end elevation looking in the direction in which the cans are fed into the apparatus.

Figure "5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view "showing a can straightening die lowered the maximum depth into the open mouth or upper portion of a. can.

Figure 6 is a view similar to' Figure 5, the die being shown as moving out of the can and the stripper ring being in the process of stripping the can from thedie.

Figure '7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating the plunger carrying rotor and the actuating 'oam, the straightener heads being removed from the plungers.

Figure 8 is a horizontal section taken on the line 88:onrFigure 7.

Figure 9 is .a=detail horizontal section taken on the" line -9--9ionJ1 'i-'gure 2.

In the example of embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, the novel apparatus is adapted for feeding and' reshaping or straightening cans While-theya're being fed to a filling machine such as a meat filling machine of the type shown in the copending application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No; 495,886, filed by Paul Pearson and Alfred'lreif on July 23, 1943, now Patent No. 2333;;061'. This improved apparatus includes a can" feeding means generally designated A, timing means" generany' designated B, transfer wheel generally designated C, a .feed turret generally designatedDlhavifig" the can straightening means generally designated E cooperating therewith, and a second transfer wheel generally designated F and which serves to feed the cans onto the main or filling turret G of the filling machine.

In the disclosed apparatus, there is included a main frame structure 5 to which a supplemental frame extension or table 6 is attached as at l.

The frame structure 5 is equipped with a lower bearing 8 and a upper bearing 9, the latter serv ing to rotatably receive a shaft Ill. The lower bearing 8 rotatably supports a hub or sleeve ll of a casing part l2 having an apertured plate I3 fixed therein, said plate including a hub portion M which is secured to the previously mentioned shaft Ill. The hub H is flange-secured as at I5 to a driver gear l6, and a sleeve H has rotatable bearing in the hub ill and has a plate enlargement 58 secured to the lower end thereof within the casing part l2. A driver gear is is fixed on the upper end of the sleeve ll and is adapted to have rotation imparted thereto from a gear rotatable with the main orfilling turret generally designated G and forming part of the filling machine of the copending patent application'hereinabove referred to.

The plate enlargement I8 is equipped with a ball seat 20 which is normally engaged by a ball 2i mounted in an aperture in the plate l3. Normally the rotation imparted to the sleeve I! will be transmitted through the ball 2! and the plate it to the shaft l0 and to the sleeve H and gear it, but should a jam occur in the apparatus, resisting rotation of the shaft a predetermined amount, the ball 2! would be displaced from the aperture in the plate l3 by movement of the plate is relative thereto and would move the plate 22 longitudinally along the pin equipment 23 which holds the same against relative rotation, and against spring means which normally holds the plate 22 in the normal position illustrated in Figure 2.

It will be apparent that the plates [8, I3, 22 and the ball 2i and the plate recess constitute one form of overload release means effective to permit relative movement of the parts without breakage should a jam occur in the apparatus. This overload release means, in itself, forms no part of the present invention, and it is to be understood that any acceptable form of overload release means may be employed. When the plate 22 is moved longitudinally by displacement of the ball 2! from its socket, it may act through thrust means 24 to actuate a control valve effective to initiate the operation of stop control means such as is disclosed in the copending application for U. S. Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to, and which is effective to stop the operation of the filling machine. The control valve 25 may be supported as at 26 on the frame structure 5, and, if desired, other manually operable stop controls 2'3 may be provided and connected with machine stopping devices associated with the filling machine (which are not disclosed herein since they form no part of the present invention)v The driver gear l6 meshes with and drives a gear 28 of like size secured on the lower end of the shaft 29 which is uprightly disposed and rotatable in a bearing 30 provided therefor in the frame extension 6. The gear 28 in turn meshes with a gear SI of like size and which is secured on the lower end of an uprightly disposed shaft 32 which is rotatable in bearings 33 provided in the frame extension 6.

The shaft 29 has a circular can supporting table 3 keyed thereon, and also a hub 35 to which is removably and adjustably secured a turret 36, the adjustable attachment of the turret being 4 indicated at 31. The turret 36 is provided with a plurality of equidistantly spaced half pockets 38 in the periphery thereof, said pockets being adapted to receive and properly space cans being fed on their way to the main or filling turret G.

The shaft i0 is provided with a hub 39 to which a transfer wheel 48 is removably and adjustably secured as at 4|. The transfer wheel M2 is provided with equidistantly spaced, radially projected fingers 42 which are effective to deliver the cans in suitably spaced relation onto the main or filling turret G in the manner illustrated in Figure 1.

The shaft 32 is equipped with a hub 43 to which a transfer wheel 44 is removably and. adjustably secured as at t5, said wheel being equipped with equidistantly spaced radially projecting feed fingers 46 as in the case of the first mentioned transfer wheel ll The transfer wheel 44. serves to deliver the cans in equidistantly spaced relation to the receiving pockets 38 of the turret 36. See Figures 1 and 2.

An arcuate feedway ll is provided on the frame extension 6 in position for cooperating with the transfer wheel id, and said feedway is flanked by stripper fingers d8 straddling the peripherally pocketed turret 3E and with an arcuate guide portion 49 disposed in concentric relation to the periphery of said transfer wheel.

The frame extension it also is provided with an arcuate feedway 50 in position for cooperating with the transfer wheel 44, and this feedway also is flanked by a concentric guide portion 5i opposite the transfer wheel 44, and by fingers 52 straddling the peripherally pocketed turret 35.

It will be apparent by reference to Figure 1 of the drawings that a similar arcuate guide Y is disposed in concentric relation about the peripherally pocketed turret 36 and over the rotary can supporting table 34, this guide means also terminating with transfer wheel straddling fingers at the respective ends thereof. In this manner a continuous, reversely arced feedway for the cans is formed about the transfer wheel M, the turret 36, and the transfer wheel ill leading to the main or filling turret G in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 1.

As the cans are initially fed into the apparatus they are fed over a long infeed way 52 pro vided on the frame extension 6 and defined at one side by an upright wall 5d, and at the other side by the timing screw 55 which is rotatably mounted in bearings 56 at the respective ends thereof.

The cans are fed into the apparatus by a block chain 5! which passes over a driver sprocket 58 secured on a shaft 59 rotatable in bearings 60 in the extension 6 and which is driven by a bevel gear couple 6| from the shaft 32. The chain driven by the sprocket 58 also passes over an idler sprocket 62 at the delivery end where the cans pass into the arcuate feedway 5E1, and over an idler sprocket 63 on an idler shaft 64 which is names:

mending-application for spraying lard into each ean as it is moved along by the block chain 51.

A-guard 75 maybe mounted over the transfer wheel 44 and pivotally supported as at 16 so that-it canbe retained in the effective position illustrated in Figures l,"2 and 3 of the drawings 'and swung away whenever it is desired to render said trans-fer wheel accessible.

Beside the rotary table 94 the frame extension Sis equipped with a bearing H in which a standarfiTB is secured. "Ihis standard-carries an arm "I9-at its upper end in position for extending over the rotary table 34. The arm is equipped with a 'suppor'ting'bracket from which is station- .arilysuspended the cam 81 having an actuator groove in its periphery formed to include a dwell portion '82 "extending approximately 240" about the circumference thereof, and a depressed portion. extending about the remainder of the cam'circumference.

Beneath the cam M and above the rotary table 34 a rotor 84 is keyed to the shaft 29 as :a't' 85. The rotor is provided with :a :plurality of equidistantly spaced, uprightly disposed bearings 86, one such bearing being provided for each of the peripheral pockets 38 in the can feeding turret 36.

-A carrier plunger 81 is vertically reciprocable in each of the rotor bearings 95, and each plunger is-eouippedwith-an actuator roller 88 enaging inthe groove-82. 83 in the periphery of theflxed cam 8-I. Eachplunger roller is mounted on a supporting pin'extending through a vertical longitudinal slot 89-int-he respective bearing 06. In order to facilitate the mounting and removal .of the tplungers'a-I 'ea'ch rotor bearing '86 is provided with a removable wall portion 90.

.Each carrier plunger is equipped with a mountin ihead 9| at its lower end to which a straightener head '92 is removably attached by screws 93. It will be apparent by reference to Figures 2, 5 and 6 of the drawings that the lower extremity of each head 92 is reduced in size to provide a straightener plug or die portion 94 shaped to snugly enter the open top of a can, and the bottom edges of each die or plug are bevelled as at 95 to facilitate entry of the same into the cans as they are being fed about in the pockets 30 of the turret 35.

The formation of the dies or plug portions 94 at the lower ends of the straightener heads 92 also provides abutment shoulders 96, and each die head is equipped with outwardly extending flange portions 91 which are apertured to receive a plurality of ring supported plungers 98 having adjustable abutments 99 at the upper ends thereof and above said flange portions, said plungers being secured at their lower ends to a stripper ring I 00 having the main body portion I!!! thereof slidably encircling the respective die or plug portion 94 and terminating downwardly in a reshaping edge I02 engageable with the outwardly extending flanges I03 of cans X for suitably straightening the same prior to the feeding of the cans into the filling machine. Each stripper ring supporting plunger 98 is surrounded by a compression spring I04 between the head flange portions 91 and the respective ring flange I00, and the springs serve to yieldably hold the stripper rings in the lowered position illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings and determined by adjustment of the abutment means 99.

In the operation of the apparatus the cans X are fed into the apparatus in processional order as illustrated at the left in Figure 1, the block chain 51 servingto convey-the cansthrough the feedway 53, and the "cans being fed onto the f-eedway 53' by any suitable means (not shown) As 'thecans amove toward the timing screw 55 each thereof will have lard sprayed thereinto by the nozzle 12 in ithe manner previously described, and when the :cans engage the timing screw 5.5 they will he :suitably spaced :thereby and positioned forbe'ing successively engaged by the feed fingerson #the "transfer turret and moved over the -'arcuate ieedwa :50 and into the receiving pocketsi38 of the feed turret 36.

As the cans are ied about by-the table 34 between the. peripheral pockets 381-and the arcuate guide the :cam groove portion :93 becomes efiective to lower eachplunger 9 3 and the die 94 carried thereby into the underlying can X. As previously stated, the plunger depressing portion 183 of the cam extends about approximately 120 of the circumference of the cam, and this depressed portion of the cam groove is so placed that the dies 94 will be lowered into the cans and lifted :out of said icans while they are being fed along byrthe turret 36 and accurately guided by the guide Y and before the transfer wheel 40 commences the transfer feeding of the cans through :the .arcuate feedway '41. In other words, the movement of the dies into :and out of the cans is completed during travel of the feed turret 36 through approximately 120.

As .eachdie 94 is lowered into a can X, it will be guided accurately thereinto by the bevelled dower edge portions 95 and will serve to straighten the can and restore it to the designed dimensions of its initial manufacture. As each dieenters the respective underlying can X, the stripper ring IOI will engage the can flange I03 and will slide upwardly over the die portion 94 of the straightening head against the action of the springs I 04 until the upper surface of the ring engages the abutment shoulder 96, at which time the lower edge extremity I02 of the ring will become a fixed abutment edge effective to straighten any upwardly bent or misshapen portions of the can flange I03 in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 5.

As each die portion 94 starts to recede upwardly out of the respective can X the stripper ring will remain in contact with the can flange by action of the springs I04 and will serve to overcome any tendency of the can to move upwardly with the die, or in other words strip the can from the die in the manner illustrated in Figure 6.

While one form of the invention has been shown for purposes of illustration, it is to be clearly understood that various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims,

Iclaim:

1. In apparatus of the character described, means for feeding open top cans in equidistantly spaced relation over a definite path of travel, a carrier movable over the path of travel of the cans, a plurality of straightening dies supported on said carrier and each including a die plug conforming in shape to the open top of a can throughout the whole perimeter thereof and snugly and deeply slidable into such can tops, and means for vertically reciprocating the die plugs through a predetermined definite stroke bearing fixed relation to the open tops of the fed cans and in timed relation to the travelling cans for moving a. die plug into and then out of the open top of each can passing beneath thecarrier, thereby to reshape any misshapen cans throughout the whole perimeter of the open top thereof, each said die plug having a spring depressed stripper ring thereon engageable with the top of a can and effective for stripping from said plug any can tending to move upwardly therewith as the die plug is wi hdrawn upwardly from the open top of said can, and also an abutment means limiting free downward sliding movement of the die plug through the stripper ring and so placed with relation to the open tops of fed cans as to make the bottom of the ring effective to engage and straighten misshapen can flanges on cans in which the die plug slidably engages in straightening contact.

2. In apparatus of the character described, means for feeding open top cans in equidistantly spaced relation over an arcuate path of travel, a rotor movable in part over said path, straightening die plugs vertically--reciprocably mounted on said rotor in equidistantly spaced relation and conforming in shape to the open top of a can throughout the whole perimeter thereof and snugly slidable in such can tops, and means for reciprocating said die plugs through a predetermined definite stroke bearing fixed relation to the open tops of fed cans and in timed relation to the passing therebeneath of the cans so as tocause a die plug to move deeply into and then out of the open. top of each can passing therebeneath and by this means straighten all misshapen cans fed beneath said rotor, each said ie plug having a spring depressed stripper ring thereon engageable with the top of a can and effective for stripping from said plugany can tending to move upwardly therewith as the die plug is withdrawn upwardly from the open'top of said can, and also an abutment means limiting free downward sliding movement of the die plug through the stripper ring and so placed with relation to the open tops of fed cans as 8 to make the bottom of the ring efiective to engage and straighten misshapen can flanges on cans in which the die plug slidably engages in straightening contact.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which each die is carried by a plunger having a roller projecting therefrom, and the reciprocating means comprises a stationary grooved cam into the groove of which all said rollers project and travel, the die plugs and the rings slidable thereon being non-circular in shape and bearing predetermined definite relation to the can feeding means so that the plugs will properly enter and fit the cans, and there also being included on said plungers and rotor cooperating lug and slot means effective to cause the plungers and rings to travel in a rectilinear path for maintaining their predetermined definite relation to the can feeding means.

ALFRED TREFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 786,403 Black Apr. 4, 1905 1,049,227 Guenther Dec. 31, 1912 1,055,418 Rudolphi Mar. 11, 1914 1,114,301 Smith Oct. 20, 1914 1,194,038 Krummel Aug. 8, 1916 1,196,695 Johnson Aug. 29, 1916 1,393,134 Johnson Oct. 11, 1921 1,407,076 Mills et a1 Feb. 21, 1922 1,620,796 Blankenhorn Mar. 15, 1927 1,670,863 Malmquist May 22, 1928 2,144,634 Murch Jan. 24, 1939 2,336,415 Nordquist et a1 Dec. '7, 1943 2,362,848 Pearson Nov. 14, 1944 

